Wrong Turn
So now General Motors wants to be an application service provider — as if the industry doesnt have enough trouble. Make that both industries, application services and automobiles. Comments made by GM Chief Information Officer Ralph Szygenda that the people who brought you the Chevette may also get into the business of renting you their software were taken seriously by a lot of people, but lets hope Szygenda wasnt one of them.
Not that the idea of commercializing applications developed in-house by GM, or any other company, is a bad one. But the notion that selling software as a service is just something you go out and do as easily as putting on a show behind the barn is ridiculous. If it were true, then the sector wouldnt be in such a mess. This stuff is hard for purpose-built companies and software vendors to do, so why would Mr. Goodwrench be able to waltz in and get it right?
Back to the assembly line, please.